| 1 Peter 5:7 – “Give all your worries to Him, because He cares for you.” |
A re-read of Mark’s gospel showed me something new. Jesus teaches in the synagogue and heals a demon possessed man in the crowd. Everyone is amazed at this new teacher (and healer).
That night, after the sun had set, the WHOLE city gathered at the door of Peter’s house, where Jesus was staying. He healed many. The next morning, before the sun, He was up to pray. The apostles hunted for Him. “Everyone is looking for You.”
Jesus heals a leper, and the healed man spreads the news so well that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere!
In Capernaum, the crowd spilled out the door, and a paralytic’s friends tore up the roof and let him down in the middle of the crowd so that Jesus would heal him.
Jesus went out to the seashore, and all the multitude were coming to Him, and He was teaching them. And Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed. And He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready for Him because of the multitude, in order that they might not crowd Him; for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had afflictions pressed about Him in order to touch Him.
And He began to teach again by the seashore. And such a very great multitude gathered before Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and all the multitude were by the seashore on the land.
And when Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered about Him; and He stayed by the seashore.
When He went off with the synagogue official, Jairus, a great multitude was following Him and pressing in on Him. Then the woman with the hemorrhage reached through the crowd and touched Him. “Who touched Me?” His disciples said to Him, You see the multitude pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched me?'” In other words, EVERYONE IS TOUCHING YOU!
And yet John records the scene with the Samaritan woman. Jesus was one-on-one with her. Nicodemus, one-on-one with Jesus. The woman caught in adultery, after all her accusers had left, she was alone with Jesus.
It struck me. Our God, creator of the universe and all of us, cares about a sparrow who falls from the sky. He made beautiful flowers which bloom for a brief moment, a matter of days. He put stars in the sky that we may never see a twinkle from. He cares for each of us individually. He knows my name, and He knows what I am going to ask in prayer, before I say it. While it is on my lips He will answer.
The next time I am standing in line to speak to someone, I need to remember that there is no waiting when I want to cry out in prayer to my heavenly Father. Father in heaven, thank You for caring for us so much, in Jesus’ name, Amen
– Jeff Beall
